Hoosier, I'm guessing you're from Indiana. How much was your group paying in dues? We almost became a PTA last year, but then we realized that it was going to be more than $1100 per year in dues. That was too much.
About the politics, I'm pretty sure that a local unit is not allowed to speak out publicly in opposition to a stated PTA position. For us, though, the big thing was that none of us were involved for politics. Like your message, the PTA people always talked about this voice. That's all well and good, but we weren't looking for a voice and we weren't willing to pay for a voice we didn't want and didn't agree with.
Even if you are in a PTA you don't have to support what the leaders are saying to Congress..We all have individual voices- and in order for your membership to express it's views you need a membership vote--There are plenty of times where units differ on the views of National or State PTA, but at least they are there to listen to each side of our views and then they can go to Congress with the voice of all concerned! But as indivduals we all have our own voice no matter if you belong to a PTA/PTO or none. i perfer to have the link with National PTA so that i can see and hear directly what is on the COngress agenda and know that I have reps who are going to listen to my side and my memberships side no matter what they think. By being part of PTA I know my voice does count and I have the larger voice to hear me that can pass my message onward...That is one of the advantages of being part of a PTA...
I am not bashing PTO's it's just I feel that PTA fills the requirements I am looking for. If my school did not have a PTA I would join whatever group they had to be involved, but i would definelty find the closest PTA unit and join it!
I'll give another advantage to going PTO. Besides keeping hundreds or thousands of dollars at your school every year (in our last PTA year, we figured out that we paid $892 in dues to council, state and national), you also don't have to support the political agenda of the very left wing leaders of the PTA.
